Varieties of Religious Experience (Jim)

On Ecstacy, Rude Awakenings and the Varieties of Religious Experience 12/19/2005

The Zen have a saying ‘Good Day; Bad Day; Same Day.’ Which is similar to the La Kota saying that goes like this... ‘We see that God comes into the world with two faces. One is the face of joy and one is the face of sorrow. It’s the same face.’ That’s the way I see God.

In the sermon today, the clergy candidate wanted to see an angel. Maybe then he’d know for sure exactly what he was to do. Of course, the first word out of an angels mouth in the Bible, is ‘Be Not Afraid’. So they’re not fat little smiling cherubs. They’re fierce and lay some pretty heavy burdens on you, when they appear. You have good reason to be afraid if one knocks at your door. No matter how clear the messenger, a day or two later, you’re questioning whether it was real or not anyhow. Was that real?

In ‘The Varieties of Religious Experience’, William James describes two type of conversions. Type one is extremely rare, like apostle Paul’s conversion, where they are struck by a bolt of lightening, and are different from that day forth. My visions and ecstacy and demon experiences, I believe, belong to this category. I had it and miss it but I don’t think I any longer really want it again. The experiences are absolute. The mountains are high and the chasms are oh so deep. The second type of conversion, the more common one, is more me now, where one eeks a step forward in trust, and then retreats back a little. Perhaps I’m okay now with this slower, less dramatic, less sure, seeking. Maybe wishing for an angel is not such a good idea.